5′ 5″ And A Size 22: Meet Tess Holliday, The Plus-Size Model Shaking Up The Fashion World

You might not know her name now but you soon will, as Tess Holliday has made history by becoming the first model of her height and size to be signed by a modelling agency.

Snapped up by Milk Model Management, the mother of one from Mississippi is more than just a voiceless face of plus-size fashion: Since 2013, Tess has been actively seeking to change preconceived beauty ideals with the hashtag #effyourbeautystandards. By encouraging others to caption their selfies with this hashtag and creating slogan t-shirts baring the same statement, Tess eventually embarked on a media tour, where she shared her message with fans around America.

And it seems it is this proactive attitude that has caught the eye of the agency, as Milk Model Management have said they chose Tess for her huge Instagram and Twitter following, clearly realising the influence the model could have over fans and maybe even the industry.

Tess, now 29, is open about the abuse she has endured since childhood, due to her size and says she still has to deal with negativity in the industry, despite being named as one of Vogue Italia’s top six plus-size models in the world. (It’s also worth noting that plus-size models are usually a size 16 and at least 5′ 8″ tall, making Tess even more unique.)

Tess told The Daily New York News, ‘I feel like it’s breaking ground. This is a milestone. I never could have imagined that I could be here. It took a really long time to get over things that had happened to me during the vital years of my life. My mom always encouraged me, [but] I’m always still that 13-year-old girl in Mississippi who people told I wasn’t good enough. I never could have imagined that I could be here.’

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